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Topic: Technicolor Lurkers

Rachel Gilardi
Madam Moderator

Posts: 2214
From: Peabody, MA, USA
Registered: Dec 2007

posted 08-11-2002 06:21 AM

I now know that at least one technicolor employee lurks on these forums. The other day I called with a quick question. They asked my name and basically remembered me from reading Film-Tech. They apologized for my complaint/question and said "Thank you for calling technicolor and Have a Good Day Chipper!". I do have to say that was the best customer service that I have ever recieved from them.

Funeeeeeee

Hi technicolor employee that reads this!!! Why don't you register!?!?!

-Chipper

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-11-2002 10:49 AM

Yea, Come on....You can come out of the Darkroom......
Mark

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Kelsey Black
Film Handler

Posts: 58
From: Pima, Arizona, USA
Registered: Aug 1999

posted 08-11-2002 02:48 PM

I'm sure that if we have a friendly face to talk to we won't be nearly as harsh as we are now, where we just rant into the void....

Besides, all complaints Re: Technicolor wouldn't be focused on you, but your employer. (I hope we all can make that distinction.)

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-11-2002 08:50 PM

It's been known they lurk here for a long time, but that's really cool that the people answering the phones late at night actually are "in" on the jokes here. (I wonder if they have a computer by the phone.) As far as their service, I mentioned this a few months back, I have noticed a big improvement in the customer service and friendliness of the phone staff and efficiency of the operation over the last year. Calling in the wee hours of the night to report a defective reel is no longer a hated thing to have to do. (My biggest beef now is with the people packing up the reels. I just simply cannot stand it when they stick the label over the string catch.)

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-12-2002 04:20 AM

You're lucky, Brad. Many of ours don't come with reel bands at all. Just a hunk of tape, that's it!

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Peter Kerchinsky
Master Film Handler

Posts: 326
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-12-2002 04:24 AM

Paul
You are lucky to get the hunk of tape. We sometimes don't even get that.

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Bill Enos
Film God

Posts: 2081
From: Richmond, Virginia, USA
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 08-14-2002 12:55 AM

Good Riddance to the damned reel bands. They are a pain in the ass and serve NO purpose whatsoever. A holdover from the days before tape, they are, when properly attached, a tapeless means of securing the film end. If effective tape had been around, they would never have been used. I do however, reattach them if a print comes in with bands.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-14-2002 01:32 AM

Done properly, I find the reel bands to be a timesaver. The problem is that *most* people don't seem to understand that tape is NOT required to attach them. When a band arrives that is taped down without a string, that band goes in the trash. For some reason new prints arrive with the tail of the band taped to the tip of the leader. While this is a waste of tape, I can live with this.

For those who are having problems with bands and have never seen them used in a "tapeless" manner, here's what you do. Tuck the first 6-12 inches of the end of the band underneath the start of the leader. Then hold that leader against the roll and you give the reel a spin. From that point you only need to hold tension on the string as you give the reel another spin, twist it around the catch a few times and it'll stay quite nicely. Anyone using tape on reel bands is not using the reel bands properly.

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Robert Golding
Film Handler

Posts: 65
From: Sutter, CA, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 08-14-2002 02:20 AM

Funny you should mention film wrappers that are taped. I'm a subrun drive in and usually don't recieve brand new prints. I just recieved "signs" and it's never been run. It came in with bands but technicolor was to lazy to include the strings for wrapping it, they just used tape to hold both ends together and of course it covers where a normal person would attach the string for tieing it properly. So if someone from technicolor is reading this, how about doing it properly???????????? Also those new and great plastic reels we keep hearing about, four of the six had to be put back together. I find it hard to be happy with this kind of service!!!!

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 02:21 AM

Bill, Brad is absolutely correct. And I thank you for at least having the common decency for re-attaching them when you ship out your print.

Reel bands protect the leader or tail from dirt, and they tell you (at least they used to) everything you need to know about the print. They also serve as another cross-check to make sure you have the reels in proper order. (Providing, of course, the right reel band is on the correct reel.)

I saw one of my operators throw them in the trash. When I saw that, I immediately became an arrogent ass that just gave birth to a Rhinoceros. I also proceeded to give him a Royal Butt chewing about it! He does not throw them away anymore.

Robert, I get them that way also. It really frosts my butt! And, even the new plastic reels are still a joke. They fall apart when they are removed from the cans. Sometimes I get so angry, I feel like throwing them up against the wall and smash them good so nobody else will have to deal with them.

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Peter Kerchinsky
Master Film Handler

Posts: 326
From: Seattle, WA, USA
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 08-14-2002 04:56 AM

Question?
How many of you have recieved prints from our "friends" at Technicolor with bands on them WITH NO REEL NUMBERS written on the bands. They're all blank.
Nice going! Can't you at Tech afford marker pens?

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Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99

posted 08-14-2002 11:18 AM

quote:
Question?
How many of you have recieved prints from our "friends" at Technicolor with bands on them WITH NO REEL NUMBERS written on the bands. They're all blank.

This is caused when somebody at a previous theatre throws away the bands. The TES people will replace the bands, but they will NOT write the reel number or the title on them.

If you receive bands with your print, you should send them out with it...string or no string.

If TES would simply get bands with more durable string rather than the "thread" they've been using, and teach their packers how to use them, the broken string problem would disappear and they could stop using tape too.

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Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 08-14-2002 02:56 PM

Mike, I agree. I guess whoever was responsible for the procurement of the reel bands are spending a dollar to save a penny.

Some of the reel bands are made of mere paper with a fish line string that won't even stay wound around the little eyelet.

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Wes Hughes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 175
From: Raleigh, NC, USA
Registered: Aug 2001

posted 08-14-2002 03:56 PM

I have a tall trash can in my make up room especially for disposing of paper reel bands.

It has "bands-B-gone" spray painted on it.

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Brad Miller
Administrator

Posts: 17775
From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall)
Registered: May 99

posted 08-14-2002 04:12 PM

Does your makeup room also have a supply of white Artist's tape, or does it have cheap masking tape? Too often I get a print that has been taped down with tape that has been reused (presumably because the last guy is either too cheap or too lazy to get a fresh piece) and the film is loose in the can, all wrapped around various reels. Sometimes I get film in where the film was taped with used splicing tape pieces, or with a piece of masking tape that is less than an inch long! This just doesn't hold. You would think that people could operate "tape", but many just don't seem to get it. Only white Artist's tape should be used to tape down film ends and no less than 6 inches should be used (3 inches on each side of the join). It is for these reasons why I am against tossing bands if they are in good condition with the string intact. Moreso than not, the bands protect the film better.

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